San Diego County opens downtown clerk’s office Saturday for Valentine’s Day, expecting over 150 ceremonies
A rare Saturday opening for civil ceremonies
San Diego County is preparing for one of its busiest civil-marriage days of the year as Valentine’s Day lands on a Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. The Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk’s downtown waterfront office at the County Administration Center, 1600 Pacific Highway, is scheduled to operate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to issue marriage licenses and conduct ceremonies, a departure from the office’s typical weekend closure.
County operations for Valentine’s Day weddings are being concentrated at the downtown location; other county clerk offices are expected to be closed for the Saturday holiday date. Couples can use pre-scheduled reservations or arrive as walk-ins, with the county indicating both options will be available during the day.
Demand expected to exceed 150 weddings
County officials and staff have indicated that more than 150 couples are expected to be married through the civil ceremony program on Feb. 14. Recent reporting from the day of the event described approximately 160 reserved appointments for license-and-ceremony services, with the process organized to move couples through required paperwork and a brief civil ceremony in roughly an hour from start to finish, depending on volume.
Valentine’s Day has historically been among the most sought-after dates for county clerk wedding services. In prior years, the county has reported well over 100 licenses and ceremonies on Feb. 14 across multiple locations, underscoring the consistent annual surge tied to the holiday.
How the county wedding service works
Location: Downtown waterfront office at the County Administration Center.
Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
Services: Marriage licenses and civil ceremonies.
Ceremony settings: Indoor ceremony rooms and an outdoor marriage arbor near Waterfront Park, with views of San Diego Bay.
Languages: County staff ceremonies are offered in English and Spanish.
County fees cited for the downtown service total $236 per couple, consisting of a $129 marriage license and a $107 civil ceremony performed by county staff.
Staffing and logistics for a high-volume day
To handle the holiday demand, the county has relied on additional officiants and event-style staffing. Personnel involved in the Valentine’s Day operation have described employees volunteering for the assignment, with internal coordination to manage appointment flow, walk-in demand, and multiple ceremony spaces in parallel.
The county has framed the Saturday opening as an operational choice to expand access for couples seeking a Feb. 14 wedding date when most government offices would be closed.
Context: steady annual volume beyond the holiday rush
While Valentine’s Day is a visible peak, the county’s marriage services operate at scale throughout the year. County figures have put annual activity at roughly 25,000 marriage licenses and more than 11,000 weddings, with a substantial share of license applicants also choosing to hold their ceremonies through the county program.